Tag: Internet of things

More-distant operation might prove riskierGetty By Paul Marks Some of the dumbest inventions of recent decades are bursting forth from that wonder of our age, the internet of things (IoT). Take, for instance, the connected “killer kettle”. You can turn it on at the click of a smartphone app – even when the kettle is empty, creating a fire risk. Then there are smart sockets that can be activated by an app, perhaps turning on electric fires that your housemate has since placed near something flammable. And let’s not forget…

This op-ed originally appeared in the March 12, 2018 issue of SpaceNews magazine. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son (left) and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk (right) are both worth roughly $20 billion on paper, but Masa’s telecom ventures generate massive amounts of cash while Musk’s biggest company, Tesla, is still losing money. Credit: Flickr.com The public has become more aware of space over the past several weeks. The awareness has been brought about by the masterful publicity of Elon Musk and SpaceX, with the company having recently performed its first launch of…

There’s a running joke regarding connected gadgets and the internet of things: “The ‘S’ in IoT stands for security.” And yes, I’m aware there’s no “S” in IoT. Oleg Šelajev, a lead developer for Oracle Labs, coined the phrase in 2016, and it pops up almost every time researchers find security flaws with a connected device. And it happens a lot. Think security cameras. Or toys. Or smart locks. Yet homes, businesses and facilities are stocking up with more connected devices to make their lives easier. IoT devices are expected…

This article originally appeared in the March 12, 2018 issue of SpaceNews magazine. The world’s biggest, best established satellite operators talk of broadband as an enormously lucrative opportunity. But in truth, nothing is causing them more frustration. Demand for ever-faster broadband internet connections is maxing out today’s satellites, setting off an industry-wide stampede toward increasingly powerful high-throughput satellites (HTS). While that might sound like a good thing, the rush to HTS is driving down bandwidth prices so fast that some fairly low-mileage satellites are struggling to keep up. Seasoned operators,…

The Swarm Technologies’ satellites were reportedly launched on a rocket operated by the Indian space agency ISRO on Jan. 12. ISRO US regulators have accused a small Silicon Valley startup of launching satellites without permission. In December, the Federal Communications Commission denied Swarm Technologies, a stealthy startup headed by a former Google employee, permission to launch four of its tiny satellites. But the company apparently launched them anyway, according to a report from tech news site IEEE Spectrum. If confirmed, it would be the first time a company has done…

WASHINGTON — The launch of several cubesats by an American company without authorization from a federal agency has the rest of the industry worried of a potential regulatory and public relations backlash. IEEE Spectrum first reported March 10 that Swarm Technologies, a Silicon Valley-based startup operating in stealth mode, flew four picosatellites as secondary payloads on an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle in January. The SpaceBee satellites were identified in materials by the Indian space agency at the time as “two-way satellite communications and data relay” satellites, but did not…

This popular smart camera is supposed to keep a watchful eye, but it failed to see its own security flaws. At the Kaspersky Security Analyst Summit, researchers from the cybersecurity company said they discovered security flaws with Hanwha Techwin America’s surveillance cameras. Vladimir Dashchenko, head of Kaspersky Lab’s vulnerability research team, said there were 13 vulnerabilities with the cameras and how they connected online. These vulnerabilities could essentially let an attacker view footage from every Hanwha camera connected online, completely disable the camera, and also use it as a way…

WASHINGTON — In a surprise shift, Eutelsat Communications, a staunch defender of geostationary satellites as the way forward, on March 8 said it is buying a low Earth orbit (LEO) demonstration nanosatellite. Another new entrant to LEO, Australia- and New Zealand-focused Optus Satellite is joining Canadian fleet operator Telesat in testing its LEO prototype satellite that launched in January. Paris-based Eutelsat and Optus bring to eight the number of geostationary satellite operators that are openly investing in, building, or partnering with non-geostationary satellite ventures, joining Intelsat, SES, Telesat, Sky Perfect Jsat,…

At the 2017 Mobile World Congress trade show, Roger Gurnani, then the chief information and technology architect for Verizon, walked on stage at a Samsung event to talk about the two companies’ work on developing 5G. Gurnani spoke of the field trials that were under way, and at the end he teased that we might see a Samsung 5G phone in a year. It wasn’t clear whether he was joking — the Samsung executive next to him looked surprised by the suggestion. An early 5G test van parked at the…

WASHINGTON — Asia’s largest geostationary satellite operator Sky Perfect Jsat has agreed to buy $4.5 million worth of stock in U.S. maritime connectivity company KVH Industries. Japan-based Sky Perfect Jsat and long-time satellite capacity customer KVH said Feb. 28 that they expect the deal to close later this week, and will spur additional joint work on products for internet access out at sea. “For years, the collaboration of KVH and SJC has developed the Asian shipping market with excellent satellite communications services, and we look forward to continuing our relationship,”…